An Astronaut Accidentally Dialed 911 From the International Space Station
Astronauts, they’re just like us! Continue reading An Astronaut Accidentally Dialed 911 From the International Space Station
Tag Archives: International Space Station
A Daring Search for Answers in Soyuz Mystery
If you happened to tune into NASA TV on December 11th, you’d have been treated to a sight perhaps best described as “unprecedented”: Russian cosmonauts roughly cutting away the thermal insulation of a docked Soyuz spacecraft with a knife and makeshift pair of shears. Working in a cloud of material ripped loose during the highly unusual procedure, cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Sergey Prokopyev were effectively carving out their own unique place in space history. Their mission was to investigate the external side of the suspicious hole in the Soyuz MS-09 capsule which caused a loss of air pressure on the …read more
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The Space Station has a Supercomputer Stowaway
The failed launch of Soyuz MS-10 on October 11th, 2018 was a notable event for a number of reasons: it was the first serious incident on a manned Soyuz rocket in 35 years, it was the the first time that particular high-altitude abort had ever been attempted, and most importantly it ended with the rescue of both crew members. To say it was a historic event is something of an understatement. As a counterpoint to the Challenger disaster it will be looked back on for decades as proof that robust launch abort systems and rigorous training for all contingencies can …read more
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I’m Sorry, Alexander, I’m Afraid I Can’t Do That
Getting people to space is extremely difficult, and while getting robots to space is still pretty challenging, it’s much easier. For that reason, robots and probes have been helping us explore the solar system for decades. Now, though, a robot assistant is on board the ISS to work with the astronauts, and rather than something impersonal like a robot arm, this one has a face, can navigate throughout the ship, and can respond to voice inputs.
The robot is known as CIMON, the Crew Interactive Mobile Companion. Built by Airbus, this interactive helper will fly with German astronaut Alexander Gerst …read more
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Soyuz Failure Leaves Questions Unanswered
The Russian space program experienced its first serious incident on a manned mission in 35 years when Soyuz MS-10 failed during ascent on October 11th, 2018. The abort system worked as designed, and crew members Aleksey Ovchinin and Nick Hague landed safely approximately 430 km from the launch site in Baikonur. Beyond being put through unusually high G forces, the two men suffered no injuries and will have their mission recycled for a future flight.
From an abort standpoint, the event went as well as could possibly be expected. The fact that the crew walked away unharmed is a testament …read more
HPE and NASA make supercomputer on ISS available for experiments
Last year, HPE successfully built and installed a supercomputer on the International Space Station that could withstand the rigors of being in space. Today, the company announced that it is making that computer available for earth-based developers and scientists to conduct experiments. Mark Fernandez, who has the lofty title of America’s HPC Technology Officer at […] Continue reading HPE and NASA make supercomputer on ISS available for experiments
We Are About to Enter a New Era of Space Stations
Motherboard talks to Robert Pearlman about his new book Space Stations, and how NASA, China, and space companies are building the next phase of human life off Earth. Continue reading We Are About to Enter a New Era of Space Stations
What Scientists Found Inside the Brains of 10 Russian Cosmonauts
By imaging the brains of cosmonauts before and after their stints on the space station, neuroscientists discovered how microgravity influences the mind. Continue reading What Scientists Found Inside the Brains of 10 Russian Cosmonauts
International Space Station is Racing the Clock After Soyuz Failure
Today’s failed Soyuz launch thankfully resulted in no casualties, but the fate of the International Space Station (ISS) is now in question.
Just two minutes after liftoff, the crew of the Soyuz MS-10 found themselves in a situation that every astronaut since the beginning of the manned space program has trained for, but very few have ever had to face: a failure during launch. Today the crew of two, Russian Aleksey Ovchinin and American Nick Hague, were forced to make a ballistic re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere; a wild ride that put them through higher G forces than expected and …read more
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Soyuz Rocket Emergency Landing, Everyone OK
NASA spokesperson [Brandi Dean] summarized it succinctly: “Confirming again that today’s Soyuz MS10 launch did go into ballistic re-entry mode … That means the crew will not be going to the ISS today. Instead they will be taking a sharp landing, coming back to earth”. While nobody likes last-minute changes in plans, we imagine that goes double for astronauts. On the other hand, it’s always good news when we are able to joke about a flight that starts off with a booster separation problem.
Astronauts [Nick Hague] and [Aleksey Ovchinin] were on their way this morning to the International Space …read more
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